Automatic unlocking device for doors.



No. 764,535. PATENTBD JULY 5, 1904..

AUTOMATIC 'UN'LOUKING DEVICE FOR DOORS.

APPLICATION TILED JULY 17, 1903.

MODEL. 2 SHEETS-$115531 WITNEBEEE I INVENTUE. John (7.310

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AUTOMATIG UNLOGKING DEVICE FOR DOORS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 17, 1903.

I 1- T? 7 g WITNEEEEE M INVE'NT'DPL W UNITED STATES Patented July 5, 1904.

PATENT JOHN (1. MAY, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 764,535, dated July 5, 1904.

Application filed July 17, 1903. $e1ial No. 165,925. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN (J. MAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Peoria, in the county of Peoria and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Unlocking Devices for Doors; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention pertains to an automatic door-opener for hose-houses or lire-engine houses.

The object of the present invention is to provide an automatic mechanism for opening the front doors of the hose-house, requiring no attention from the firemen whatever. Heretofore it has been customary to either have these doors open at the same time that the stall doors open to release the horses or to open the same after the men have taken their positions upon the wagon, at which time a rope is pulled to open said doors, said rope hanging over the wagon within reach. The former method is quite unsatisfactory for the reason that when the front doors are opened at the same time as the stall-doors one or both the horses sometimes do not stop under the harness in their proper positions, but pass on out and are lost, thus delaying the wagon and preventing it getting to the fire at the proper time. The latter method also has its disadvantages in that the men on the wagon are called upon to open the doors when they should have their thought and e'lforts on other more important things. It is therefore necessary that the doors should open automatically, but not until the horses are hitched, or partially so at any rate, so that they cannot get away until the wagon is ready to go.

I have fully illustrated my device in the appended drawings, in which Figure 1 is an interior view of the hosehouse, showing the front doors and my improved apparatus thereon. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of a weight-guide and lever for operating the locking-bolts of the doors. Fig. 4 is a top view of a turnbuckle used in connection withthe connecting-rods of the latches. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a harness-support, showing the connection therewith of a rope which serves to operate the unlocking mechanism by means of a weight carried by said rope. Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of a lever for withdrawing the latches of the door from their keepers. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a slotted tube.

In the first two figures, A and B represent the doors of the hose-house closing the eXit to the street. Each door is hung by means of ordinary hinges, which. if desired, may be provided with springs sulliciently strong to throw the doors open when released. However, in lieu of such an arrangement as this I employ weights, one of which is attached to each door by means of a rope (J and a ring or staple I), as shown, the weights being indicated by E E. Attached to each side wall of the room is a pulley F, over which the rope runs, the weight hanging close to the wall, out of the way. At the top and bottom of the door A are spring-catches G, while at about the middle of said door is pivoted a T-shaped lever H, the top bar of which is preferably bent down at one end and up at the other, substantially as shown. The lower catch Gr is connected to the downturned end of said lever by means of a pul l-rod, while the upper catch is connected .in like manner to the upturned end of H by rod J Said lever H is pivoted to the door at the juncture of its arms, and the vertical arm is adapted to swing from side to side, having connected thereto a rod K, whose other end is connected to an L-shaped lever L, to be described more fully later on. Socured to the door A close to its hinged edge is a tube M, in whose upper end is a second tube, N, for guiding a weight R, used for operating the catches G. The tube M carries a horizontal arm 0, to the extremity of which is pivoted the L-shaped lever L. before mentioned, said lever being pivoted at the juncture of its two arms. The horizontal arm of this lever extends through a slot P in the side of the tube M close to the arm 0, as illus trated in Fig. 3. Pivoted to the end of the lever L within the tube M is a contact-piece Q, designed to receive the impact of a weight R, above mentioned. Said weight is suspended at the end of a rope S, running over a pulley T, secured above the door immediately over the tube N. Said rope at its other end carries a ring U, Fig. 5, adapted to engage a hook V on the harness-support W, usually employed. In said Fig. 5 the harness-support consists of a rod hung from a strap X, which passes over pulleys Y, hung from the ceiling, but not so shown. To the projections 2 a rope is secured, which is carried by the said strap X. The support W carries a weight on a right-angled extension of the support-rod, which the weight of the harness holds in the position shown by hanging from hooks 3. The projections 2 described extend horizontally away from the support only when the harness is suspended from the hooks 3. The hook V described, also in this position, supports the weight R. Now when the harness is dropped upon the horse the weight on the support W falls to the position shown in broken lines and the hook V takes the position shown also in broken lines, and in so doing releases the ring U, which allows the weight R to drop through the guiding pipe or tube N into M and strike the contact-piece Q, which depresses the extension of the lever L within said tube M, and consequently pulls the lever H toward it, resulting in pulling both the rods I J and their catches G from engagement with their keepers. The doors being now released, the weights E E fall, thus pulling the doors open. In closing the doors the ring U is hooked over its hook'V on the harness-support, and the doors are merely pushed shut, where they are held,

as before, by the catches.

In Fig. 4 I show a turnbuckle 4, which is threaded at one end, its other end being .tapered and passed through a yoke 5 and headed to allow a swiveled movement. This device is employed for connecting the rods Iand J with the lever H and also for connecting the rod K with said lever H, and by this means as will be understood, without departing from the spirit and intent of the invention, and

Therefore I claim 1. In an automatic door-opener for hosehouses, the doors adapted to open when released, means onthe doors for holding them shut, and means having detachable connection with the suspended harness above the horses for operating the first said means to unlock the doors, said latter means adapted to be released from the harness automatically to unlock the doors and permit them to open when in the act of harnessing the horses.

2. In an automatic door-opener for hosehouses, the doors adapted to open when released, catches on the doors for holding them shut, mechanism for connection with the catches for operating them simultaneously, a weight adapted to fall upon said mechanism to withdraw the catches to release the doors and permit them to swing open, said weight being suspended from the harness and liberatedautomaticallytherefrom when harnessing the horses.

3. In combination with the street exit-doors of a hose-house locking means carried on the doors, means controlled by the suspended harness of the horses for automatically releasing the locking means at the desired time and other means for swinging the doors open after being unlocked.

4. In combination with the street exit-doors of a hose-house catches for holding the doors closed, a lever pivoted on one of the doors, connections between the lever and the catches for the purposes set forth, means connected with the said lever for moving it by weight imposed on said means, a weight suspended above the means and automatically-released to fall and operate the lever to releasethe catches on the door and other means for swinging the doors open after being unlocked.

5. In mechanism for opening the street exitdoors of hose-houses a spring-catch at the top and bottom of one of the doors, a lever pivoted to the door between the catches connections between the catches and the lever, the latter member adapted to withdraw both catches at one movement, a second lever having connection with the first, means for depressing the said second lever to operate the first said depressing means being released automatically, and other means for opening the doors after being unlocked substantially as set forth.

6. In mechanism for opening the street exitdoors of hose-houses, a spring-catch at the top and bottom of the door, a leverpivoted to the door between the catches, connections between the catches and the lever, alever having connection with the first lever substantially in the manner described, a weight for automatically depressing the second lever to operate the first and release the catches, and weights attached to the doors for opening the sameafter being released-by means of the catches.

7. In mechanism for opening the street exitdoors of hose-houses, a spring-catch at the top and bottom of one of the doors, a lever pivoted to the door between the catches, connections between the catches and the lever for the purposes set forth, a second lever having loose connection with the first for operating said first lever, an automaticallyreleased Weight suspended above the second lever, a guiding-tube for the weight secured to the door and into which the second lever projects, and weights secured to the doors for opening them after the fall of the Weight and the consequent releasing of the catches.

8. In mechanism for opening the street exitdoors of hose-houses, a lever H pivoted on one of the doors, catches G at the top and bottom of the door, connections I and J between the said catches and the lever, a second lever L having connection with the lever H, the connection K between the same, the tube M secured to the door and having the arm 0 for supporting said lever L, there being a slot I in said tube for receiving the end of the lever, a weight R adapted to descend into said tube and contact with the lever L to operate the lever H and unlock the doors and means on the doors for opening the same after the unlocking operation.

9. In mechanism for opening the street exitdoors of hose-houses, the catches G on the doors for holding said doors shut, a lever H of T- shape, the connections I and J connecting the extremities of the lever to their respective catches G, a tube M secured to one of the doors, a projecting arm O thereon, a lever L pivoted to the extremity of the said arm, there being a slot 1 in said tube for receiving the end of the said lever L, a suspended weight R adapted to enter the tube Mto depress the lever L and operate the lever H to withdraw the catches for releasing the doors, the rope S for supporting the weight and means for automatically releasing the weight for the purposes above described and weights attached to the doors to open them after being unlocked.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN (J. MAY. WVitn esses:

L. M. THURLow, A. KEITHLEY. 

